Jane Floyd: Creating the ideal meeting or event

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SNOWMASS VILLAGE -In a resort town like Snowmass Village, most everyone is connected in some way to the hospitality industry. Jane Floyd is a veteran of that field. While most people move to Snowmass to ski, Floyd moved here because of a man.In the mid-'80s, she met Wayne Floyd "in the Carolinas," and he was a ski bum looking to make Colorado his new home. Jane Floyd had a vision of living in one of the old Victorians on the west side of Aspen, but the couple settled in Snowmass Village."Everyone worked three jobs, and Wayne joined Village Property Management shortly after we arrived," she said.Floyd began work with the Snowmass Resort Association in reservations. "$5.25 an hour," Floyd recalls with an laugh. "Then I got into sales and marketing and realized that I liked people and that end of the business."She worked at SRA a few years, and then opened the Snowmass Club, starting in group sales and marketing and eventually becoming the general manager in the late-'80s.It was a time of great fun in Snowmass at places like the Timbermill."You weren't sure where you would spend the evening," Floyd recalled with another easy laugh.In 1992, she opened Jane Floyd & Associates, an event planning business."There was a need," Floyd said. "Then, we didn't have a transportation company like CTS or Smiddy Limo or someone like Blazing Adventures who could organize a lot of activities. We were bringing in high-end clients (to Snowmass and Aspen).Jane Floyd describes her company as "very creative, sophisticated and well-traveled.""We work one-on-one with Fortune 500 companies, continuing medical education planners, brides, people having anniversaries, to create a special event," explained Floyd. "It can be a one-shot deal or a series of events over days."Jane Floyd & Associates offers a range of different services for event planning, from travel and accommodations to hiring entertainment, staging the event, planning, even making sure that management interacts with different top salesmen, if that is what is required."It's planning the whole event," said Floyd. "Sometimes it's very one-on-one. Corporate planning is less emotional than planning for social events. They hire me for my experience and my ability to put the components together in a way that works well. Often it's more than just logistics."What makes a good event planner?Floyd quickly ticks off three of her favorites: "Patience. Kindness. Creativity." "I look at things differently," she added. "My cup is half-full. I enjoy people, and I look at how to make people happy."Floyd's company also offers support in an emergency. During 9/11 she had a client with a New York financial company that had to get home when the planes were grounded. She gave them a rental car she had for their project and then used it to drive to New York and then California."I don't think it made it back to Aspen for about 45 days," Floyd said.Like many, she has seen her business affected by the recession. She has taken the opportunity to develop new business relationships and "re-create guest services.""We re-create ourselves to fit the times," Floyd said. "I think what sets me apart from other event planners is that I have vast experience, I have a sophisticated style, yet I follow the trends. I'm also very well-traveled. I see what the world is doing, not just what people are doing here."She does see growth opportunities in the future."Absolutely," she said enthusiastically. "If I didn't, how could I get excited about my business? I'm always looking for new opportunities and new business. I don't like to repeat myself. I like to challenge myself to create new venues, new ideas, new themes. I'm always thinking and always jotting down what would be fun."Some of her favorite event-planning jobs have been corporate (like booking Yankee Stadium). But she also loves planning society events and weddings for her Texas-based clients and planning weddings for special couples who don't have any money and would really like to get married here.Out of work, Floyd is a big fan of summer."Here in Snowmass, you walk out the door, and you are hiking. You go to the post office, and it's very social. I love the small-town feel of Snowmass," Floyd said.She and her recently retired husband have been married 32 years. Their daughter, Elizabeth, is in graduate school in Denver.Steve Alldredge is the former associate editor/reporter for the Snowmass Sun. He now runs a local communications company whose clients include Related Colorado. He can be reached at stevealldredge@gmail.com.